


2AM kebab

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Flufftober [18]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Robron endgame, mentions of Aaron with kayak boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27079855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Flufftober day 18: Late night cravings
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Flufftober [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947490
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	2AM kebab

It was late. Well after midnight. The picture and date on Aaron’s phone screen were mocking him and so was the calendar notification he’d forgotten to delete.

It was his and Robert’s one year anniversary. Or rather. It would have been if they hadn’t split up almost two months ago. If he hadn’t ended it.

It was for the best. All they’d done the past few months was fight. The trust wasn’t there anymore. It just didn’t work out. It was just one of those things.

But none of that meant he wasn’t absolutely miserable. He missed Robert more than he ever thought he would.

He knew he’d made the right decision though. A few weeks after their break up he’d made the mistake of going to see Robert and he’d seen some pretty girl in a tight skirt leave his flat. If Robert was hooking up with someone else already, then clearly they just weren’t meant to be.

Aaron had turned around and scrolled through his phone looking for a distraction. Someone as different from Robert as possible. He’d settled on Ben. A guy he’d gone to school with and recently bumped into again. A bit of a wet blanket if he was honest, but not Robert so he’d do.

Ben hadn’t asked questions, which had suited Aaron just fine. He hadn’t called him to talk after all.

It had gone well for a week or two. Whenever Aaron needed a distraction, needed to stop that voice in his head that was telling him to call Robert and work things out, Ben was there to make him stop thinking for a couple of hours.

But the thing with distractions was that they only lasted so long. And over time they stopped working as well as they had in the beginning.

So the warm body on its own wasn’t cutting it anymore and he’d have a couple of beers too to turn his brain off. Only drinking enough to make that happen also meant he was in no state to drive home afterwards and he had to spend the night.

And it turned out Ben liked to cuddle.

Drunk Aaron didn’t care much, but sober and hungover Aaron waking up the next day with someone wrapped around him that was not Robert, was absolutely not ok with it.

He’d made up some terrible excuse and all but ran from Ben’s flat to his car and called in sick to work the next three days.

And now it was what should have been one of the happiest days of his life. Only it wasn’t.

He briefly wondered what Robert was doing right now, but then the image of the girl in the tight skirt popped in his head, and he’d answered his own question.

His phone buzzed and for a moment he hoped Robert was texting him, only when he checked the screen it was Ben asking him to come over.

Absolutely not.

He swiped the notification away without bothering to reply.

He got up from the sofa to get himself a drink, but when he opened the fridge, he saw the fancy champagne he’d ordered for Robert for their anniversary and had forgotten to cancel.

Everything in his flat reminded him of Robert and he had to get away. He quickly gathered his wallet and keys, slipped his phone in his pocket, and walked out the door while still putting on his jacket.

He debated going to Bar West but decided against it. By this hour almost everyone would be drunk beyond belief, and he was in no mood to deal with drunk guys thinking they stood a chance with him.

He started walking through the city with no real idea of where to go. People were piling in and out of pubs and clubs, groups of girls were giggling and shouting, lads were winding each other up, and he even noticed a couple almost getting it on in an old phone booth. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

“Everyone but me.” Aaron muttered to himself.

He kept walking and suddenly the smell of kebab filled his nose and he realised he hadn’t really eaten since breakfast and was actually pretty hungry. A greasy kebab sounded as good as anything so he followed the scent to a shop around the corner.

Thankfully it wasn’t too busy with drunk people looking for something to soak up the booze yet.

“Hi, what can I get you?” the guy behind the counter asked.

“Uh I’m still deciding.”

“Alright. I’ll come back to you in a minute.” The guy said and Aaron nodded and focused on the menu again.

“What can I get you?” he heard the guy say to another customer.

“Uh… chicken kebab with chips please.”

“Drink?”

“No thanks. Just the food.”

“Eat here or to go?”

“Uhm… make it to go.”

“Alright, it’ll be done in 10 minutes.”

Aaron had watched the exchange with open mouth. The person ordering their food, standing less than 2 meters away from him was none other than…

“Robert?”

The other man looked up at the mention of his name.

“Aaron? What are you doing here?”

Aaron shrugged as he walked over to him.

“Just getting some food.”

“This place is on the other side of town from where you live.”

“So? I’m not allowed here or something?”

“I didn’t say that… but there is a McDonald’s two minutes from your house.”

“Maybe I just fancied a change.”

“Right.”

“Are you ready to order yet mate?” the guy behind the counter said to Aaron as he served up Robert’s food.

“Oh uh… same as him.” Aaron said without thinking.

“So uhm… how have you been?” Robert asked awkwardly after a few minutes.

“Fine.” Aaron lied. “You?”

“Yeah… fine too…”

“How’s the girlfriend?” Aaron asked, failing to keep the sting out of his voice.

Robert frowned.

“What girlfriend?”

“I don’t know. Is there more than one?”

“No. There is none. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Right, so what’s the deal then? Friends with benefits?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw her leave your flat. Right after we broke up. It didn’t take you long to replace me, eh?”

“Replace you? Are you drunk? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“It’s ok. You can tell me. You don’t have to spare my feelings. They’re none of your concern anymore after all. Not that they ever were.”

Robert rolled his eyes.

“Here we go again.”

“Look if you two are going to fight, do it outside, yeah? My shift is almost over, I don’t need the drama.” The guy behind the counter said as he shoved Aaron’s food in a to go bag.

Aaron grabbed the bag, shoved a tenner at the guy and told him to keep the change, and almost ran out the door.

“Aaron, wait!” Robert called out and jogged to catch up with him.

“Go back to your girlfriend, Robert.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend, I’m not seeing anyone, and I’m not sleeping with anyone either. There is only one person in the world that I want to do that with and that’s you, you idiot!”

Robert stepped in front of Aaron, making him stop walking.

“Who was that girl then that I saw leaving your flat?”

“I don’t know, Vic?”

Aaron shook his head.

“She had long dark hair. Tight skirt. High heels. Short jacket.”

“When was this?”

“I don’t know. Few weeks after we ended it.”

Robert frowned but then the proverbial light bulb seemed to switch on. He grabbed his phone and tapped it a few times looking for something.

“Was this the girl you saw?” he turned the screen towards Aaron and showed him a picture on Instagram of the girl he’d seen coming from Robert’s flat, with her arms around Dawn, the girl who lived next door to him. “That’s Meena. Dawn’s girlfriend.”

“Why was she in your flat then? All dressed up.”

“Date night gone wrong.” Robert explained. “Dawn thought they were meeting at Meena’s place, Meena thought they were meeting at Dawn’s. She knocked on my door because she couldn’t get a hold of Dawn, and asked if she could wait for her at mine. It was cold and she wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather… so I said sure.”

“Right.”

“Nothing happened.” Robert stressed. “I was watching TV and she watched with me for a bit until Dawn finally answered her phone. And then she left to go meet her at her place.”

“Oh… ok.”

“Did you really think I’d just jump into bed with the first pretty girl to come along?”

Aaron shrugged and thought of his arrangement with Ben.

“I don’t know… wouldn’t be the first time you got distracted by a pair of legs and a skirt.”

Robert rolled his eyes.

“Because I’m bi, right? Us bisexuals just can’t be monogamous, right? We’re all cheats?”

“I didn’t say that!” Aaron said defensively.

“You didn’t have to.” Robert said sadly and started walking away.

“Rob, wait.” Aaron called out. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I do that a lot lately… say things I shouldn’t.”

Robert turned around and came back.

“I never cheated, I swear. The Rebecca thing was all her. She kissed me. I told you.”

“I know…” Aaron said, suddenly very interested in a lamppost behind Robert’s right shoulder. “I just… with you being bi... I feel like I have twice as many people to compete with…” he admitted quietly. “I know that’s not how it works but… I can’t help feeling that way.”

“You idiot.” Robert said fondly and reached out for Aaron’s hand. “No-one else comes close.”

Aaron gave him a shy smile.

“I’m sorry… for always assuming the worst…”

“I think we both have a habit of doing that…”

“Yeah…”Aaron agreed, staring at Robert’s thumb stroking his hand. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Robert replied. “More than you know.”

Aaron dragged his eyes up to Robert’s face.

“So uh… did you have plans or…”

“No.” Robert said softly. “But there is one thing I’ve been dying to do for a while now. About two months actually.”

“What’s that?”

Robert didn’t say anything but just leaned in to kiss him. It was just a soft brush of lips but it meant the world to both of them.

“Funny. I’ve been wanting to do that too.” Aaron said and pulled Robert close by the front of his jacket and kissed him, properly, putting everything into the kiss he couldn’t quite say just yet.

“I’ve missed that.” Robert said when the need for air became too much and they pulled back. “Almost forgot how good you are at that.” He added with a chuckle.

“I don’t know. I think there’s some room for improvement still.”

“Well… maybe you want to come back to mine and we can perfect the art?”

Aaron smiled and stole another kiss.

“I’d like that.”


End file.
